Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Compiz VS Rectangle

Compare Compiz VS Rectangle and see what are their differences

Compiz logo Compiz

Project information. Maintainer: PS Project Management Team. Driver: Compiz Maintainers. Licence: GNU GPL v2, GNU LGPL v2. 1, MIT / X / Expat Licence.

Rectangle logo Rectangle

Window management app based on Spectacle, written in Swift.
  • Compiz Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-11-19
  • Rectangle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-20

Compiz features and specs

  • Enhanced Aesthetic Appeal
    Compiz provides a variety of visually appealing effects and animations, improving the overall look and feel of the user interface.
  • Customizability
    Users can extensively customize their desktop experience with various plugins and settings to tailor their environment to their personal preferences.
  • Improved Productivity
    Features such as the Exposรฉ-like window overview, workspace switching animations, and enhanced window management help users stay organized and switch between tasks more efficiently.
  • Wide Range of Plugins
    Compiz offers a vast collection of plugins that extend its functionality, allowing users to add new features or enhance existing ones.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Compiz invites community contributions and continuous improvements, fostering innovation and collaboration.

Possible disadvantages of Compiz

  • Performance Overhead
    Running Compiz may consume considerable system resources, potentially impacting performance on lower-end hardware.
  • Stability Issues
    Some users may encounter instability or crashes, especially when using certain plugins or running it on unsupported hardware configurations.
  • Complexity
    The extensive customization options and numerous plugins can be overwhelming for users unfamiliar with Compiz, making it challenging to set up and manage.
  • Compatibility
    Compiz may not be fully compatible with all desktop environments or applications, potentially leading to graphical glitches or reduced functionality in some cases.
  • Maintenance
    As Compiz is heavily driven by community contributions, the pace of maintenance and updates can vary, sometimes resulting in delayed support for new features or bug fixes.

Rectangle features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Rectangle offers an intuitive user interface that makes window management straightforward and user-friendly.
  • Customizable Shortcuts
    Users can easily configure keyboard shortcuts to better suit their workflow, making window management faster and more efficient.
  • Free
    Rectangle is available for free, making it accessible to anyone without the need for a financial investment.
  • Frequent Updates
    The app receives regular updates, introducing new features and ensuring compatibility with the latest macOS versions.
  • Lightweight
    Rectangle is a lightweight application that doesn't consume many system resources, ensuring smooth performance even on older Macs.

Possible disadvantages of Rectangle

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Rectangle lacks some of the more advanced features found in paid window management applications, such as multiple monitor support and more complex window arrangements.
  • MacOS Only
    Rectangle is only available for macOS, so users of other operating systems are unable to take advantage of its features.
  • Occasional Bugs
    Some users report occasional bugs or unpredictable behavior, which might require troubleshooting or waiting for a future update.
  • Learning Curve for Shortcuts
    While customizable shortcuts are a benefit, there is an initial learning curve for users to memorize and effectively use these shortcuts.
  • Basic Aesthetic
    The app's design and aesthetic are quite basic, lacking the polish and visual appeal found in some other similar tools.

Analysis of Compiz

Overall verdict

  • Compiz is considered to be a good choice for those who desire an enriched desktop experience with advanced visual effects. However, it is important to note that it may require a well-configured environment and might not be necessary for everyone, especially those who prefer simplicity over aesthetic enhancements.

Why this product is good

  • Compiz is a compositing window manager for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. It's known for its visually appealing and smooth animations, which enhance the user interface experience. Users appreciate Compiz for its ability to provide a more dynamic and engaging desktop environment.

Recommended for

  • Users who want an enhanced visual desktop experience.
  • Individuals interested in experimenting with advanced window management effects.
  • Those running older Linux distributions that support Compiz.
  • Developers or enthusiasts looking to customize and tweak their desktop appearance.

Analysis of Rectangle

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Rectangle is highly regarded for its ease of use, extensive customization options, and the fact that it is free and open-source. It provides essential functionality without unnecessary complexity, making it suitable for both casual users and power users who need efficient window management.

Why this product is good

  • Rectangle is a popular window management tool for macOS, known for its simplicity and ease of use. It allows users to efficiently organize and resize application windows using customizable keyboard shortcuts or by dragging windows into pre-defined areas of the screen. This can enhance productivity by minimizing the time spent arranging windows and improving multitasking capabilities.

Recommended for

    Rectangle is recommended for macOS users looking for a straightforward, lightweight solution to manage application windows. It is particularly beneficial for those who frequently work with multiple applications at once, including developers, designers, and anyone who values a tidy and organized desktop environment.

Compiz videos

Fedora 32 mate compiz install and review.

More videos:

  • Review - Linux Ubuntu 11.10 Kernel 3.0.0.12 compiz / review from a Windows guy
  • Review - VIDEO SATISFACTORIO, REVIEW DE MANJARO XFCE + COMPIZ

Rectangle videos

SKYWALKER RECTANGLE TRAMPOLINE REVIEW!!!

More videos:

  • Review - Skywalker Rectangle Trampoline Review #1
  • Review - Marvin Malton 160 Rectangle Flying Hour Watch Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Compiz and Rectangle)
Window Manager
9 9%
91% 91
Mac Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Note Taking
100 100%
0% 0
Tool
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Compiz and Rectangle

Compiz Reviews

We have no reviews of Compiz yet.
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Rectangle Reviews

Best 6 Mac Window Managers
Rectangle shows that you donโ€™t need to dip into your bank account to get window resizer tools. This free Mac window manager lets you manage multiple windows using keyboard shortcuts, menu options, or by dragging and dropping. Just like Magnet, you can split your screen up into quarters, thirds, or halves.
Source: mackeeper.com
Top 6 Window Manager Apps for Mac
Most window manager apps for Mac support multiple monitors. They can help you move windows between screens and create custom layouts for each monitor. Many window manager apps โ€“ such as BetterSnapTool, Magnet, and Rectangle โ€“ offer this functionality.
The 6 Best Mac Window Management Tools
However, it might take some time for you to get used to the shortcuts in the Rectangle app since there are many. Furthermore, you can also add some of your apps to exceptions if you want to keep them away from Rectangle's shortcuts.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rectangle seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 479 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Compiz mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Compiz yet. Tracking of Compiz recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Rectangle mentions (479)

  • Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released
    As a both old Linux and now decade user of MacOS, after I got used to no middle-click paste and no focus-follows-mouse: 1. Keyboard shortcuts are Emacs, Ctrl-A: start of line, E: end of line, K: kill selected or to end of line, Y to paste, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-au/102650#text 2. Karabiner elements (FOSS) fixes keyboard mappings outside of the Settings: https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/ 3. I have the... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    Every macOS user uses Rectangle.app โ€” https://rectangleapp.com The ones who don't use it is because they donโ€™t know it exists. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Native Instant Space Switching on macOS
    I use https://rectangleapp.com/ and enjoy it. I have shortcuts to move windows to the left/right half of the screen, and cycle between monitors. This, combined with native cmd+tab and cmd+` is enough for me. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Make macOS consistently bad (unironically)
    Rectangle [1] is pretty much essential for me because of this. I use only a few keypresses (maximize window, move to one of the halves of the screen horizontally) but that is enough. My mouse very rately interacts with the borders of any window, or those buttons. I had to click on the green one that you mentioned in order to see what it did (yuck). [1] https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Make macOS consistently bad (unironically)
    I use Rectangle [1] for window management. I only use three shortcuts: full screen, left half of the screen, and right half of the screen. My editors and chrome are always running in one of these modes. But for other apps like Messages, Notes, Music, etc - yeah I don't usually expand them to full screen. [1] https://rectangleapp.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Compiz and Rectangle, you can also consider the following products

Fences - Keep your desktop organized with Fences. This is a simple software program that allows you to sort the tabs on your desktop and create files that are easily recognizable to you.

Magnet Window Manager - Magnet Developers

Witch - Welcome to the world of W. i. t. c. h.

yabai - A tiling window manager for macOS based on binary space partitioning

pekwm - pekwm is a window manager that once up on a time was based on the aewm++ window manager, but it has...

BTT Remote - A remote control for you Mac, using your iPhone or iPad